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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361661">Just Talk</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeTheNormalBeing/pseuds/ZoeTheNormalBeing'>ZoeTheNormalBeing</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, A.K.A. if you don't want spoilers don't read past this point, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Confessions, Drunken Confessions, Eh this is probably good enough, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Is there angst? Maybe. Will I tag it? Nope, M/M, Mild Blood, Not Beta Read, Tags Contain Spoilers, all drinking is legal because it's alien and in space, how do you tag</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:09:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeTheNormalBeing/pseuds/ZoeTheNormalBeing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"L-Lance?" Keith weakly called out before coughing up some blood.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <em>Lance winced before nodding to tell Keith he heard him.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <em>"Can you just," Keith coughed, "talk?"</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <em>Lance stared at him for a moment in shock before quickly nodding and starting to tell a story about how his niece had decided to try to make her own ice cream out of whipped cream and ice.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or</p>
<p> </p>
<p>5 times Keith asks or listens to Lance talk and 1 time Lance finds out why.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith &amp; Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>206</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there! It's been a minute. I've just been through a tad bit of shit that honestly I'm not going to be able to recover from for a while. </p>
<p>I figured I'd add this in the notes, but there is some minor violence in the first part. I didn't find it too graphic so I didn't tag it, however if you have a sensitivity to blood or something like that beware.</p>
<p>Extra Information:</p>
<p>Lance pilots blue with Allura as an emergency replacement.<br/>Keith pilots red with Lance as an emergency replacement.<br/>Shiro pilots black with Keith as an emergency replacement.</p>
<p>This takes place after Shiro gets back from his second disappearance and before Keith leaves for the blades, since that's pretty much my favorite time in the series.</p>
<p>Other than that, I hope you enjoy! I finished this half asleep so hopefully it isn't too shitty.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>I.</p>
</div>The first time, it isn't looking great for Keith.<p>Blood seems to be everywhere, leaking from places Lance didn't know the human body had.</p>
<p>The mission was supposed to be simple - but they never actually are. It was supposed to be a quick in-and-out, an empty base with some information on newer civilizations the castle didn't have (being 10,000 years old, and all that). It was supposed to be <em>empty</em>.</p>
<p>None of the 'supposed to' things actually occurred. </p>
<p>They've been there for at least an hour now.</p>
<p>The database has been completely wiped.</p>
<p>A native animal found its way into the facility and apparently is very hungry. </p>
<p>Near the beginning of the fight, Keith and Lance had done a decent job. A couple scratches here and there, but nothing serious. </p>
<p>That quickly changed when the two paladins realized that this… creature was adaptive. It quickly understood their fighting styles and it changed from a winning to losing battle within a matter of seconds. </p>
<p>Keith was the one to pay.</p>
<p>Keith had found a weak spot underneath the creature (or on top of? It was like a gecko and could climb walls) and quickly slid under the animal and stabbed up into the monster, causing it great pain. When Keith went in for the final blow, the creature swung their claw around and snagged Keith right in the stomach. Moments later Lance had shot it, killing it, yet it was too late to keep everyone injury-free. Keith had slammed up against the wall and the claw seemed to have reached deep inside of the Red (sometimes Black) Paladin.</p>
<p>Lance dashed over to Keith the moment he knew they were safe to see Keith breathing heavily and holding a steadily bleeding wound. Lance quickly turned on the coms.</p>
<p>"Guys, Keith is seriously hurt. This weird Godzilla thing ended up scratching in a place that seems to have vital organs so if you guys could hurry it up that'd be great!"</p>
<p>Quickly the team answered in affimitives and gave Lance an update on where they were before Lance shut off the communicator. </p>
<p>"How are you doing there, buddy?" Lance asked as he looked down from his kneeling position at Keith.</p>
<p>Keith simply grunted in response.</p>
<p>Lance didn't know what to do, so he ended up just sitting there for a moment before Keith spoke up.</p>
<p>"L-Lance?" Keith weakly called out before coughing up some blood.</p>
<p>Lance winced before nodding to tell Keith he heard him.</p>
<p>"Can you just," Keith coughed, "talk?"</p>
<p>Lance stared at him for a moment in shock before quickly nodding and starting to tell a story about how his niece had decided to try to make her own ice cream out of whipped cream and ice.</p>
<p>Just before the team got there Keith passed out, but he had been smiling when he greeted the land of sleep. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Keith had to spend quite a bit of time in a healing pod, but got away with a mere scar.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>II.</p>
</div>The second time, it's far more subtle.<p>The team had been sitting around for a while, no Galra seeming to want to make their lives hell for once. </p>
<p>This was pure torture to Keith, Lance could see it in the way he fidgeted. </p>
<p>Why doesn't he just train, you ask? </p>
<p>Well, that's the thing. Keith recently sprained his ankle on a mission, and apparently healing pods aren't that great at de-stretching ligaments, so he was benched from all physical activity - including training. </p>
<p>He most certainly tried, of course, but Shiro and Allura ended up temporarily blocking his handprint from the training room so that he couldn't get in. Everyone is too scared to defy Shiro and Allura to let him in. And, of course, they're concerned about his health. But mostly the former thing.</p>
<p>So, yeah. The team was just sitting around. Keith and Lance are sitting at a bar in a sort-of game or movie room while the rest of the team is sitting down on the couch and just talking.</p>
<p>Keith, being Keith and having a sprained ankle, didn't join.</p>
<p>Lance, being Lance, stayed behind to keep him company.</p>
<p>"Hey Lance?" Keith suddenly said as they watched their friends from afar.</p>
<p>Lance hummed in acknowledgement.</p>
<p>"Can you tell me about the time your straight cousin accidentally said he was gay?"</p>
<p>Lance stayed silent for a moment before starting the story.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lance knew that Keith wasn't all that interested in the story by the way he seemed in a daze, but when Lance stopped talking Keith looked over in confusion. Lance kept the one-sided conversation going until dinner.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>III.</p>
</div>The third time, Keith doesn't even need to say anything.<p>He ended up walking in on Lance looking at a map of Earth one night, and silently joined his side.</p>
<p>"It sucks, doesn't it?" Lance asked, not taking his eyes off of the hologram. </p>
<p>"What does?" Keith asked.</p>
<p>"Being so far away from Earth."</p>
<p>Keith looks off to the side.</p>
<p>"Honestly, I don't really miss Earth."</p>
<p>Lance snaps his head over to look at Keith in shock. </p>
<p>"What? Why?"</p>
<p>"I've just never had anything there. My dad's dead, my mom left, and I had no friends. Everyone and everything I care about is here with me."</p>
<p>Lance stared at him for a moment, deep in thought.</p>
<p>"Maybe I could show you all that Earth has to offer some day," Lance stated.</p>
<p>Keith tilted his head like a puppy.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"Y'know, show you the beach, and how it feels to not only have a family but a huge one."</p>
<p>Keith silently urges him to go on.</p>
<p>"I mean, I doubt you've had that great of food if you've been alone for so long, and my mom makes the best garlic knots. Even better than Hunk's, but don't tell him that." Keith interrupts him with soft laughter before Lance continues. "Also, you absolutely sucked at that board game we did the other night. I think you need to play a board game with my family and I, then you'd truly experience the terror that people can reign. Oh, and my family are the <em>champions</em> of hide and seek and tag. You'd be doomed from the start, regardless of what Voltron has taught you. My family is pretty competitive, if you hadn't inferred that already, but there's so much more to them, too. Maybe I could show you what family really is, because it's far too difficult to describe."</p>
<p>After Lance realizes Keith has been quiet for a bit, he glances over just as Keith's head falls on his shoulder. Lance takes in a deep breath due to shock, but then stays very still. Keith stirs a bit, but stays asleep.</p>
<p>Lance looks over to Keith and sees that he really needed the rest.</p>
<p>Dark bags are underneath his eyes, and he's even paler than usual. His lips are in a down turned frown, and he's still in jeans. </p>
<p>Lance starts to softly sing a lullaby, and Keith's mouth slowly releases it's tough hold on stress to let Keith relax.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few moments later, Lance falls asleep. They never talk about it.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>IV.</p>
</div>The fourth time, they're bored out of their minds.<p>"I can't believe Allura made us sit through this shit," Keith whispered to Lance, vision never leaving the weird octopus-blobs that were speaking. </p>
<p>Lance had to will his entire body not to laugh.</p>
<p>"I know, right? It's ridiculous."</p>
<p>"I wish that, at the very least, we could understand all this coalition-alliance stuff so we'd have something to listen to. Instead we're just sitting here and doing nothing."</p>
<p>"Exactly. I feel like all this political talk is going to make my ears fall off because they don't want to listen to the dull words they're saying."</p>
<p>"Could uh," Keith said, demeanor changing nearly instantaneously. "Could you maybe make the words not so boring?" </p>
<p>"Uh, what?" Lance asked.</p>
<p>"Nevermind, it was stupid," Keith mumbled, even quieter than their whispering before. </p>
<p>"No no no," Lance whispered, louder than before and risking them getting caught. "I don't understand what you mean."</p>
<p>"I just, uh," Keith stuttered, leg bouncing like crazy underneath the table. "So uh. You see that blue Quzairion over there?" Keith whispered, subtly nodding to him with his head.</p>
<p>Lance nodded slightly in confirmation. </p>
<p>"Just. Like, uh," Keith continued to stutter, obviously failing to find the words to explain and being embarrassed with whatever that thing was. "Like. Uh. I bet that the reason he has that scar on his… tentacle? Is because he was messing around with a weird stick and tripped, causing the stick to go really deep into his... flesh."</p>
<p>Lance stared at Keith for a moment before his lips started to slowly turn into a smile and Keith got more defensive. </p>
<p>"You want me to create fake stories for these people?"</p>
<p>Keith sunk lower in his seat, still looking professional even with a ridiculous pout on his face. </p>
<p>"Yeah," he mumbled, lips barely moving. </p>
<p>Lance saw how uncomfortable Keith was so he quickly looked around.</p>
<p>"See that red one over there?"</p>
<p>"You mean with the monocle thing?" </p>
<p>"Yep. I bet he doesn't even need it, he just wants to look professional but secretly his eye is smaller than his other one."</p>
<p>Keith's lips turned up a little bit.</p>
<p>"Isn't that a little mean?"</p>
<p>"I mean, yeah, but he can't hear us, and if that really was something he had an issue with I'd never mention it."</p>
<p>Keith chuckled a little.</p>
<p>"Always so considerate, huh?"</p>
<p>Lance opened his mouth, ready to respond, something just on the tip of his tongue, but he was interrupted by a glaring Allura looking at him with a very… disturbing face. He immediately looked at the politician currently talking before whispering to Keith.</p>
<p>"Allura alert."</p>
<p>Keith stiffened and snapped his gaze back as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later, Lance couldn't stop thinking about the comment that Keith made.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Always so considerate, huh?"</em>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>V.</p>
</div>The fifth time, instead of a political meeting, they're at a political 'ball'.<p>Lance is talking with a girl, flirting, but then he looks over to the corner where Keith resides. He says a quick goodbye to her before going to Keith.</p>
<p>Keith's leaning on the wall, so Lance leans on the same wall so that they're side by side.</p>
<p>"Heyo, mullet, what are you brooding about?"</p>
<p>Keith shrugs, stoically looking forward into the crowd.</p>
<p>Lance twists his face into a frown.</p>
<p>"Seriously, dude," Lance continues pestering. "Are you okay?"</p>
<p>"I just don't like large groups of people," Keith mumbles out, never moving his gaze from the crowd.</p>
<p>Lance nods in understanding before staring out into the crowd for a few moments. </p>
<p>"My sister was, no, is the same way. Hates crowds a whole lot. Once, for her sixth grade dance, a boy came up to her and asked her to dance and she was so startled she smacked him."</p>
<p>Keith breaks out into a fit of giggles.</p>
<p>"Really?" Keith asks, softly, timidly. </p>
<p>"Yup. Believe it or not she actually started dating him in high school."</p>
<p>Keith let out a short burst of laughter at that, covering his mouth to stop the sound.</p>
<p>Lance grabbed Keith's wrist and softly tore his hand away from his mouth, and they locked eyes for a moment with soft looks on their faces.</p>
<p>The moment was over just as quick as Lance let go of his wrist and cleared his throat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were still standing next to each other when Allura rounded up the paladins to head back to the castle.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>+I.</p>
</div>The time Lance finds out why, Keith is drunk.<p>Really, <em>really</em> drunk.</p>
<p>He's laying across a… wooden? Table at some bar on some planet that no one bothered to remember, giggling like no one's business. </p>
<p>Shiro gave up talking to him an hour ago, so Lance decides to check on him.</p>
<p>The second Lance sits down in the seat across from Keith, the drunken half-galran gives him a soft smile.</p>
<p>"Lance," Keith says, way too fucking soft for Lance's heart. </p>
<p>"Uh… hi?" Lance says, no, asks, giving Keith a confused look.</p>
<p>"Your voice is so pretty, you're sooo pretty," Keith says, eyes and smile lazy.</p>
<p>Lance's face explodes in a blush.</p>
<p>"Uh…"</p>
<p>"That's why I alwayyys ask for your stories, your voice is sooo nice, I wish you would talk to me moree," Keith says, slurring a tad but still understandable. </p>
<p>"Wow, you must be pretty drunk if you think my voice is nice. Typically you just think it's annoying."</p>
<p>"Nooo," Keith says with a heavy <strike>pout</strike> frown. "Your voice is like an angeeels, your voice is a perfect mix of uhhh… soft and brash. Brash. That's a thinggg, right?"</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah, brash is a thing," Lance says, unsure on what else to say, still freaking out at how Keith thinks he's <em>pretty</em>. Holy fuck, <em>Keith thinks he's pretty</em>.</p>
<p>"Yeah, your voice is jussssst perfect. Right in the middle."</p>
<p>"I think you've had too much to drink, buddy," Lance says with a nervous laugh.</p>
<p>Keith <strike>pouts</strike> frowns at him.</p>
<p>"I don't wanna be your budddy, I wanna be y'ur boyfwiendddddd," Keith says, obviously getting less coherent as the conversation goes on. </p>
<p>"Yup, definitely too much to drink," Lance says, shaking his head fondly <strike>wishing that he was telling the truth</strike>. </p>
<p>"Nooo," Keith says, frownin- oh fuck it, he's pouting, and it's <em>adorable</em>. "I wannaaaa be your boyfriend Laaaance, pleaseeee go on a date with mweeee, pweaseeeeeee," Keith says before his head whacks on the table as he passes out.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>○●○●○</p>
</div>Lance carries him to his lion. He wakes back up on the way there, and he's obviously far more coherent (and sober) than he had been before.<p>"Fuck," Keith says, groaning. "My head hurts like a bitch, what the fuck happen-" He cuts off suddenly as his eyes widen and he pushes himself out of Lances arms to fall on the rough path below them. He groans in pain.</p>
<p>"Keith," Lance says, shaking his head fondly, "I'm trying to take you back to the castle, to your bed, so can you work with me here?"</p>
<p>Keith stares up at Lance in horror before attempting to get up himself and… holy fuck, is he trying to <em>run</em>?</p>
<p>"Keith," Lance calls out, concerned. "Dude, stop, please." He grabs Keith's shoulders and sits him down on the ground, Lance kneeling in front of him before sitting on the back of his calves. "You shouldn't be moving around too much, you just said, and I quote, 'my head hurts like a bitch'."</p>
<p>Keith groans and flops backward to spead out like a starfish on the ground.</p>
<p>"I was not wrong, put me out of my misery."</p>
<p>Lance sighs fondly.</p>
<p>"Look, buddy, I dunno what you're so upset about-"</p>
<p>"What I'm upset about?" Keith yells out, sitting up fast before putting his palm to his head and groaning. "Ouch…" Keith mumbles, before opening his eyes from his wince and continuing his rant at a lower volume. "I'm upset that I got myself so drunk that I fucking asked you to be my boyfriend when you obviously don't like me back and, holy fuck I told you I thought your voice is nice I'm never gonna hear the end of this."</p>
<p>Lance stares at Keith in bewilderment.</p>
<p>"You were being serious?" Lance asks, softly grabing Keith's shoulders to keep him from falling back down. </p>
<p>Keith groans and looks downward before nodding.</p>
<p>"You… you want to date me?"</p>
<p>Keith holds his hands up to cover his face and nods again. </p>
<p>"Are you making fun of me?" Lance asks, still very baffled.</p>
<p>"What?" Keith asks, slowly turning his head up (he's obviously learned his lesson to stop moving so quickly and suddenly) to look up at Lance. "Of course not, Lance. You're an amazing person, you know? You always seem so happy even though I know that this war is probably as hard, if not harder, on you just like the rest of us. You keep our morale up regardless of how we treat you, and <em>fuck</em>, Lance, you're so considerate. Super, super, considerate, and kind and caring and honest and intelligent and-"</p>
<p>Lance smacks his hand across Keith's mouth to get him to shut up, staring at him with wide eyes. </p>
<p>"Keith…" He says softly, trailing off.</p>
<p>Keith takes the hand that Lance has preventing him from speaking and moves it to the side, taking in a deep breath.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, I know that you don't like me back, but you just need to know how amazing you are, Lance. People don't tell you that enough, honestly, and it's sad because you deserve that and so much more," Keith says, looking at Lance with a sad smile.</p>
<p>Lance reaches out and cups his cheek, staring into Keith's eyes for a moment before giving him a chaste kiss and pulling away moments later.</p>
<p>"I like you too, Keith. You're so kind, even if you don't show it too often. You're impulsive in the best way, and while you don't give out your trust easily, when you do it means so fucking much. I'm so glad I'm one of the people that you've given that trust to, and fuck, it's an honor to even know you, Keith."</p>
<p>Tears are rolling down both their faces and they both have huge smiles on their faces. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They started dating shortly after that, and there isn't a day that goes by that Keith is upset or annoyed with how much Lance talks. Talking, after all, is one of Keith's favorite things that Lance does.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed! </p>
<p>6/4 Update: Fixed repitition and grammar errors.</p>
<p>Extra Note:</p>
<p>I do not respond to comments. That does not mean I dislike them or don't read them (I read all of them and smile like crazy for a while after), it's just that I get far too nervous responding to things like that and overthink far too much. Occasionally I will respond, but typically that's a special case and you shouldn't expect a response from me. Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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